


Imperial Heroes

by avada_matata



Series: Only Heroes Get Action Figures [2]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: Rebels
Genre: Gen, also not romantic, female stormtrooper oc, really not that much violence just them stormtroopers, sabine and ezra find some unexpected items in an abandoned space walmart, space walmart, usual stormtrooper death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-28
Updated: 2017-06-28
Packaged: 2018-11-20 02:20:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,220
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11326635
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/avada_matata/pseuds/avada_matata
Summary: In which Sabine and Ezra have a shootout in an abandoned Space Walmart with some Imperials and investigate their findings





	Imperial Heroes

**Author's Note:**

> I'm gonna say this takes place sometime around Season 2 probably on Lothal but honestly that doesn't really matter too much.
> 
> Slightly different tone than last one; either way, enjoy!

Sabine kept a box of plastic stormtrooper figurines in her quarters aboard the _Ghost_. She was by no means a collector of such things; the six-inch soldiers were wonderful for designing her armor. Or for target practice. 

She was reminded of it now as she ducked behind a toy shelf of a deserted GalactiMart store, firing blaster rounds into real stormtroopers. 

One by one they fell to her fire and to the streak of blue light that was Ezra. He appeared by her side, deflecting blaster bolts back to their senders. Sabine unhooked a grenade from her belt and flung it at the troopers, taking cover behind the shelf with Ezra to avoid the blast. A few seconds later she peeked out blaster first, noting that the grenade seemed to have finished them off. 

“That was a close one,” Ezra said, deactivating his lightsaber. 

“Eh.” Sabine shrugged. “I'm not impressed.” 

She surveyed her surroundings, taking note of things she had only noticed briefly during the firefight. The GalactiMart was not long abandoned, the semi-fresh fruit not yet moldy; though it was splattered all over the floor, aisles, and stormtroopers corpses thanks to her grenade. The aisle in which she had taken refuge was facing the back wall of the department chain, displaying an impressive amount of Imperial toys and gadgets. She picked up a couple handfuls of six-inch stormtroopers figurines and shoved them into her bag, only now half-filled with various bombs and spray paints. Accurate models of AT-AT walkers and TIE fighters were packaged on the shelves and strewn across the floor. A box of Build-It-Yourself bricks for an Imperial Star Destroyer model had split open and joined the mess of debris gathering on the floor. Child size masks of stormtrooper helmets lined the shelves as well, including, Sabine was surprised to notice- “Ezra, come look at this!”

Ezra looked up from where he was pilfering the cash register, shoving the credits into his bag. _Old habits die hard_ , Sabine thought with a grin. 

“Find anything good?” he asked. 

“See for yourself.”

Ezra found it quickly, the unmistakeable helmet of Vader hard to miss. Depicted as a plastic half-mask, it was more amusing than threatening. 

“Add that one to your collection. It's the next best thing,” Sabine said. 

“They sell this to _children_?” he said, incredulous. “Why…you know what, nevermind. I don't want to know.” That didn't stop Ezra from slipping the mask into his bag. 

“Contact the _Ghost_. I'll be finished by the time they get here,” Sabine said, pulling her spray paint out from the mess of bombs and stormtrooper figures. 

“Yeah, I’ll -- ow! _Kriff_ ,” Ezra cursed. 

Sabine turned to find him holding his foot, a centimeter-long plastic Build-It-Yourself brick embedded in the sole of his shoe, and let out a snort. “Idiot.” 

Giving her attention to the unusual canvas, she gently carved out a bright, if slightly uneven, orange circle of paint on the shelved wall. Thinking on the spot, she took another Vader mask and placed it on the shelf in the middle of the circle. Then she began filling in the orange, completely covering the mask. _Chew on that, Vader_ , she thought harshly, putting the paint cans back in her bag. 

Ezra let out a low whistle from behind her. “Wow i like this one.” 

“Maybe not my best work, but the message is clear.”

Ezra nodded appreciatively.

The thrum of a familiar ship’s engines sounded from above; their ride was here. 

“Come on, let’s get out of here,” Sabine said, hefting her back over her shoulders. 

Sabine and Ezra exited the GalactiMart with their unexpected treasures, the rewards of a mission accomplished. 

___

The troop commander took in the destruction of the unfortunate little GalactiMart. She felt no pity, though. These were simply the casualties of war. The same sentiment was applied to the bodies of her fallen comrades. The rebels had done quite some damage, something she intended to fix. Or, at least, Lord Vader intended to fix. 

She stood outside the Sith Lord’s shuttle, making the head of his honor guard. Having been temporarily assigned to Vader for the duration of his task, the commander wanted to appease him in any way possible. She’d heard rumors of what happened to those who failed Lord Vader, and she was not so keen on joining them. Though, hadn't she already failed, allowing those rebels to cause such a mess? Hadn't she failed by default if Vader was here in the first place? 

The commander swallowed nervously. She'd been a good Imperial all her life, first a citizen, then a soldier. She'd risen this far in the ranks; it couldn't all be for nothing. 

She wasn't proud to admit that she flinched when the door to Lord Vader’s shuttle finally hissed open. The low rasp of his respirator filled the pathetic GalactiMart, amplified by the low ceilings of the building. Vader’s presence spread like a disease through the ranks of her men. She was suddenly very glad for the stormtrooper helmet she wore. 

Vader descended down the ramp like a wraith, that damn respirator infecting every part of her mind. It was a miracle her voice was so steady when she spoke. “Lord Vader.”

He acknowledged her briefly. “Commander.”

“The rebels have destroyed two shipments of weapons in addition to five grounded TIE fighters. My troops cornered them here, but were unable to apprehend them.” _Better to give him the report before he asks_ , she thought. 

“I see.” Vader nudged one of the fallen storm troopers with his boot. “And what of the rebels?”

Vader started walking towards the back of the GalactiMart; she hurriedly followed to keep up, a nervous pit forming in her stomach. “They escaped, my Lord.” She paused, waiting for Vader to round on her any second. He did not. Instead he kept walking toward the back of the store, where a bright orange monstrosity bedecked the far wall. “We believe there were two of them, aside from the pickup. One appeared to be carrying a…lightsaber?” She said the last part as a question, waiting for Vader’s reaction. 

“As I suspected,” he intoned, and she breathed a sigh of relief. 

Vader was staring at the center of the orange starbird painting. In the middle of the shelf rested something, painted entirely in orange, that looked exactly like -- _oh gods I am going to die._

There was no way Vader would let a personal insult like that stand. She was going to die for the mistakes of these foolish rebels. She felt a surge of anger towards them; their stupid little game would cost her life. She took a deep breath. Vader had not moved as of yet. He stood still, studying the painting, and the mask. 

Vader reached out a gloved hand, and she flinched involuntarily. Instead of reaching for her throat, he had picked up the plastic mask, seeming more curious about it than the orange smattering of paint. “Commander.”

She snapped to attention. “Yes, my Lord?”

“I want a list of all ships seen entering and leaving this area and their trajectories.”

“Yes, my Lord.”

“Commander,” Vader turned to her, an audible threat in every syllable. “Do not fail me again.”

She felt her breath catch in her throat, barely managing to reply, “Yes, my Lord.”

**Author's Note:**

> Coincidentally the kid I was babysitting today had a Vader mask (I wrote this before that).
> 
> Also the Build-It-Yourself bricks are 100% Legos
> 
> Not really sure what religion stormtroopers have; I'm assuming it varies. I hope you enjoyed the random stormtrooper OC that has no relevance whatsoever other than to give a different pov than Vader (he's next, though).  
> (Does she get Force-choked in the end? Nah she's just hella scared)


End file.
